Two Decades Behind
by 101Salocin
Summary: The year is 2019. Well, at least it was to Adachi Narahiko before he drove down Mount Akina in his SA one night. Now, in an unfamiliar time in a once-familiar place, his wish to return to a past era has came true. The people he'll meet, the experiences he'll go through; oh, how ignorant he is of what was to come! What is certain, however, is that he'll love it.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, author here. A disclaimer: I do NOT own Initial D. The characters in this story are purely works of fiction; any resemblance to any real person is merely a coincidence (doesn't apply to people like Keiichi Tsuchiya, heh). All actions involved in this story are purely fictional and are potentially dangerous in reality if you're inexperienced. Unless you're alone by yourself in the middle of nowhere, do NOT emulate them. I mean, I'm not saying that you _can't_ do stuff like this, just take the care and responsibility to not endanger others.**

On my phone, I scrolled through the pages of my browser, sitting on the asphalt and leaning against the guardrail, breathing in the cold, fresh mountain air Akina provided.

" _Automotive technology surges forward as car manufacturers scramble for self-driving technology."_

" _Tesla Motors leading in electric self-driving car craze."_

" _Countries worldwide have implemented bans on petrol cars, and human driving is next: all you need to know for the future."_

 _Sigh…_

Feeling that I've had enough with my break, I put away my phone and stood up. Taking out my car's key, I walked towards my green 1979 Mazda RX-7, otherwise known as the SA, parked in front of me at the stopping point near the peak of the mountain. Unlocking the doors, I got in.

Shutting the door, I pulled out the choke, put the key in the ignition and turned it.

The carbureted Mazda 12A underneath the hood came to life within 2 seconds, and I proceeded to slowly push in the choke. Well, of course it started this quickly; it wasn't exactly a cold start to begin with.

Done with the choke, I rested back in my seat and waited for her to get up to temperature. It wouldn't take a long while, especially since the engine wasn't that cold.

My name is Adachi Narahiko, 19 years old. Born 2000, love cars since I was a kid and a car enthusiast since I was 12. I only got my license last year, but I've worked on and practically owned a car since I was 15.

The engine was now up to temperature.

"Let's go, SA."

Buckling up, I turned on my headlights, the flip headlights working as they should as their yellowish beams shone forward.

Moving into first gear, I drove out of the stopping point and started to head downhill.

I stepped down the gas pedal, bringing the tachometer's needle up to the redline before shifting up. This went on till I hit my 4th gear; that's when the first corner of the downhill was ahead of me.

Approaching it, I braked appropriately, heel-toe downshifted back to second and brought the car towards the apex, feeling the thrill of fast, hard cornering rush over me as I made sure not to lose grip.

Lightly stepping on the gas, I felt the car slightly oversteer. This is the side effect of welding my differential shut; the car gains acceleration on the straights, but slightly suffers at corners as both rear wheels are forced to turn at the same speed. As long as I give her a bit of gas, SA would be fine.

As soon as I cleared the apex, I stepped down on the throttle, accelerating out of the corner.

 _Not too shabby, but not that great either._

Remembering the speed bump ahead, I stepped on the brakes, slowing the car down enough to safely clear the bumper.

As she went over the hump, I sighed.

Did I mention that I genuinely feel that I'm born in the wrong era?

As soon as I cleared it, I sped up again, the 12A screaming at 7,000 RPM again. The SA may not be fast, but it's fun as hell to drive.

As a kid, I was always fascinated with cars, but they were typically cars of the same age as I was, with one or two exceptions like the Ferrari F40. It was only when I was 12 when I really began to develop a strong, long-lasting proper love for cars from the 90s and before, and that was also along the time I discovered Felix Wankel and his creation; the Wankel rotary engine. From that point on, I was hooked onto the RX-7, and I gained a particular love for the first generation RX7, otherwise known as the SA or FB.

When I was 13, the 60-year-old old boss of a nearby automotive repair shop took a risk to properly teaching me the mechanical and electrical aspects of a car during working hours after I was dismissed from school one day and was eyeing his green SA, which had its apex seals blown some time ago and damaging the housings, parked outside his workshop. Him and I discovered that I had a knack for working on vehicles, and I learnt how to change the engine oil of a car within a week. Then it was the changing of spark plugs, replacing the brakes, suspension replacement, repair of electrical components, and the list goes on. By the time I was 14, I was able to repair a car myself, and I have gained a friendship with Mr Yoshikawa by then. Over the next year, even with his health failing a bit, he introduced me to tuning, which cemented my love for older cars and created the "automotive philosophy" I have now.

 _Whoops, botched it,_ I thought back in reality as I did not slow down enough to clear a corner properly, unable to get inside. Luckily, I did not smack the outside guardrail.

I've always joked to him about how I wanted to buy his SA from him while he would also jokingly reply that he will be the owner of the car until the day he died. I was jesting, but deep down I had a real interest in his RX-7. One day, when I was 15, he told me that I can finally help repair his car the next day, and I could clearly remember not being able to sleep that night out of excitement.

The next day after school, I walked over to the workshop, eager to finally be able to work on Mr Yoshikawa's rotary-powered sports car. But that never happened that day, for he had died a few hours ago because some idiot had beaten the red light at a hundred kilometers an hour and rammed into him. For the whole week, I was depressed over the loss of someone who had became an uncle figure to me, and the SA was naturally pushed to the back of my mind during that period.

After his funeral, his will surfaced to public eye, and I was greatly surprised at what was written on it. Being a single man, almost all his possessions and assets were given to his younger brother, who also shared his knack for cars and was by all means a good man. What was most surprising was the allocation of his SA; it was slated to become my possession the day I earned my driving license while the younger Yoshikawa would have it under his name till then; in other words, it was given to _me._ With the encouragement of the younger brother, I began to fix up the SA on my own over the next 3 years, and after the long, hard work of saving up for new parts and physically working on the car, on my 18th birthday, the SA came to life after 5 years of silence. That was, of course, the proudest day of my life. A short few months later, I earned my Class 1 license, and on that same day, after all the necessary paperwork, I officially received ownership of Mr Yoshikawa's 1979 Mazda RX-7.

Back in the present, I slowed down again for another one of the many humps installed in Akina, probably a decade ago. I sighed again. The SA, no matter how fun it was for me to drive, still wasn't helping get rid of my worries.

So, what has my past got to do with my worries? Well, I'll explain.

The accident that got Mr Yoshikawa killed would usually make someone my age start a hate for driving. Not me; the accident had made me hate idiotic drivers instead. You know, _those_ drivers. Texting while driving, not watching the road in general, can't tell the difference between the accelerator and brake pedal etc etc etc. These people have tainted driving to the point where everyone wants self-driving cars to make human driving _illegal_ , and that does _not_ sit well with me at all. Why do the minority of the world's drivers decide our future? Why does nobody focus on the virtues of driving instead of looking at how many car-related accidents and deaths are there? I may sound insensitive, but in my opinion, people die every day; a few car accidents that make up less than 1% of daily driving is not an issue at all.

I know I'm not exactly in the correct position to judge as I currently clear a right corner while hitting the apex and driving on the wrong side of the road, but I only do this in the middle of the night, when people are at home sleeping. For the one year I've came to Akina to drive like this every night/early morning, I've literally only encountered at most one car a month. If my SA's brakes failed and I plunge down a cliff, I'm only taking myself down with it; I won't harm anyone else.

I slowed down again for yet another hump, and this time my annoyance grew into frustration. Approaching the second straightaway of the pass after a gentle right turn, I floored it all the way, venting my frustration as my SA screamed at the high RPM I was driving at.

Then there's electric cars; for all that environmental preaching, everyone forgot that ethanol exists as a biofuel. An octane level higher that the highest possible octane level of pump gas but with 20 to 30 percent lesser range, this is more than suitable as an alternative that combines the best of both worlds. But no, with the onset of the electric craze, everyone's only concerned about making the entire car population fully-electric. Both this and self-driving technology have absolutely no care about enthusiasts like me; they may all be moving in a good direction, but what they're doing wrong is by thinking in absolutes.

At fifth gear, finding the correct place to slow down, I hit the brakes and downshifted to 2nd gear in order to clear the left hairpin ahead of me. I did not speed up again, however, since at the end of the hairpin was yet another speed bump.

I knew Mount Akina's famous 5 hairpins were ahead after the lazy right, left then right corners, and I knew that thankfully there were no humps installed yet. I can drive at my maximum again.

I don't care if electric and self-driving cars start to exist; in fact, I would be happy because lesser idiots will be behind the wheel. But I am _not_ happy with the fact that drivers and all other cars are going to be forced off the roads just because the technology exist. It does not make sense! As someone whose everything is with cars, this is a direct hit to me! What's more heart-wrenching is the fact that opposition is and has been written off as outdated opinions and I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop the death of the cars I love, especially my SA. All of us enthusiasts and drivers are going to be forced to give up our passions just because some idiot doesn't know how to drive while another thinks that electric cars should be the only cars on the road.

Unfortunately for someone like me, I was born in the wrong time.

 _I'm really born in the wrong era, huh._

The first hairpin was right ahead of me. Feeling cheeky, instead of the usual grip cornering I drive with, I drifted through the corner, the SA's rear wheels squealing.

I smirked. _That was fun._

 _Wasn't there a famous driver born from driving down Akina?_ I thought as I screeched through the second corner. _I heard that from my friends, but is that really true?_

 _Ah, no matter. I'll concentrate on my driving._

Beaming in joy, I drifted through the third hairpin, finally feeling my frustrations temporarily wash off.

I feel like I'm born to drive.

With the same amount of enthusiasm, I cleared the fourth and fifth hairpins.

"That was fun!" I commented out loud, with only my SA to hear me. Until the last corner, there wouldn't be any speed bumps anymore, so I decided to go all-out with my typical grip driving.

The RX-7 rushed through the remaining corners, the 40-year-old rotary engine screaming at 9,000 RPM throughout each corner. This time however, it wasn't the screams of frustration; it was the screams of excitement and passion. I can feel everything my car felt; this is the feeling I love and lust for everyday, being able to bond with your own car like this.

A car is not necessarily just a tool for transportation as everyone else thinks; in fact, my SA is not like that at all. It is a companion that can have a two-way understanding with you, and when done right, they can be like an extension of your body. Internal combustion engine cars are the best for that; they virtually have live, beating hearts. They're all alive.

 _I just wish…_

 _I just wish I could drive like this for as long as I want._

 _Man, I wish I was back in the 90s._

As I cleared the second last corner, the road widened into a three-lane. I took the new rightmost lane, in anticipation of the corner.

Using my feelings to judge, I braked and sent the SA into a drift, bringing her into the apex and clearing it at 70 kmh.

 _Hey, isn't there a hump around- oh God, no!_

I instinctively hit the brakes, knowing that I've seriously botched it.

I shut my eyes, knowing what was to come. The SA would fly up the speed bump and crash, either severely damaging herself or getting me injured or killed in the process.

 _This was all my fault._

 _I wasn't careful._

After a few seconds, after feeling nothing, I opened my eyes, my fear replaced with confusion.

The SA sat in the middle of the road, sideways but completely unharmed.

"Wait, what?"

I looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But I knew I should have hit that speed bump.

Unbuckling my seat belt and getting out, I looked back at the corner.

There were some tire marks left from my little stunt, but everything seemed normal…

… other than the fact that there was no speed bump at all.

 _Hey, where the hell did it go? I passed it when I went uphill earlier today, there is no way it would have disappeared!_

 _… That's really weird. Can a hump be removed that quickly by roadworks workers?_

Weirded-out, I went back into the SA, deciding to call it a night.

I checked the car's clock. 12:02 am.

 _Yep, about time I head back._

Satisfied with my spirited driving, I put the car into gear and drove off normally, finishing the rest of the downhill.

Everything looked normal, just like usual. But something felt off. I couldn't find any evidence, but I could clearly feel it, and it was unsettling me.

I pulled into a parking lot at the carpark at the foot of the mountain, rear wheels squeaking as I made the tight turn, a side effect of a welded differential. Pulling the handbrake, I pulled out my phone, wanting to browse Facebook for a while as I let me and my car cool down. No service.

"Weird…"

Putting it back, I decided to wait for a while, looking at my surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary, at least from here.

Once I felt cool enough, I drove out of the carpark and away from Akina, heading home.

As I looked around the empty streets, I realized that something was definitely wrong; I don't recognize a quarter of these buildings.

 _What the hell?_

Driving down a once-familiar street, I stopped in front of where my apartment building should be, shocked.

That's not a building I recognize.

That's it.

"What… what the hell's going on?!"


	2. Chapter 2

I slumped back in my seat, stumped.

 _What the hell?_

 _There's no logical explanation for this!_

I took a deep breath.

 _Okay, calm down. It's not that bad, right? Just calm down and properly think._

The idle of the rotary engine I knew so well helped keep the atmosphere familiar as I stopped panicking.

 _Okay, now let's think this through. Out of nowhere things changed._

… _That's not helping at all. So, where am I going to stay for the time being? I've got a bit of money in my wallet, but that ain't gonna last…_

 _I know, I'll just sleep in the SA. I've done this before too, no problem for sure. I'll deal with everything else in the morning._

Feeling satisfied with the conclusion I came to, I put the car into gear and drove off, looking for a quiet place to park.

Finding a quiet alley somewhere nearby, I parked, turned off my headlights and shut off my engine. Rolling down my door's window and locking my doors, I adjusted my seat back and sat back in a comfortable position.

Trying not to think about the recent events, fatigue eventually consumed me and I managed to doze off.

* * *

I woke up to the morning sun. Opening my eyes, I realized that I had parked facing east, thus why sunlight was directly blasting down my face.

"Ugh…" I muttered as I turned my head left, shutting and shielding my eyes at the same time.

After a few moments of getting myself awake, I re-adjusted by seat to the usual driving position. Looking around and remembering the predicament I was in, I sighed.

 _At least I have a clear mind now._

Rolling up the right door's window and unlocking my doors, I got out of the SA. Re-locking my car and walking towards the exit of the alley, I took a good look around my surroundings.

Three quarters of the buildings were familiar, although they looked slightly newer than I remembered. The other quarter, however, were unfamiliar, but fitted in well with the rest of the buildings. Thinking about it, I realized that the buildings that I remembered all looked newer, more typical 21st century architecture.

Looking around at the people walking one the sidewalk, I approached a random middle-aged man, trying not to look or sound weird as I asked my intended question. "Hey, sorry for disturbing you. This may sound a bit strange, but can you tell me the full date today?"

The man looked at me. "Well, it's Saturday, 18th of July 1998."

 _What?_

"U-um, thank you!" I stammered, bowing down.

"My pleasure, young man," he smiled, walking away. "Polite kid…"

 _1998…_

I stopped bowing. "You're kidding…" I muttered. "Yesterday was July 17, so today should be July 18, nothing wrong with that. How… how did 2019 become 1998?!"

 _This could be just an elaborate and odd dream…_

I slapped myself. I'm not dreaming.

… _or I have somehow ended up exactly 21 years behind 2019._

 _I'm… in 1998._

Realizing the situation I was in, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm now in the era I felt fitted me the most. On the other hand, however, I'm currently at a loss; my identity card and driving license, as I took out my wallet to check, were unchanged, rendering them officially invalid. That wasn't the biggest issue; what really bothered me was my lack of a job, which would mean that I was earning nothing to support myself. On top of that, I had also only brought along enough money for… three tanks of gas?

I recounted the notes in my wallet. Yes, I have enough yen for three tanks of high octane! Come to think of it, I did intentionally bring this much out because I _did_ want to refuel the SA, but the excess amount was just because I wanted to deposit some money into the bank after.

 _Guess that's one thing I don't need to do anymore…_ I joked with myself in my head.

 _So, I've got enough money to last for a few days without an income. I still need a job…_

 _So, where do I start?_

I looked around and sighed, not knowing what to do.

I turned around and went back to my SA, taking the time to analyze the front license plate. _It shouldn't raise any suspicions in this era, I guess. Unless they actually went to look up the plate number, of course._

Getting behind the wheel, I put the key in the ignition, pulled out the choke, gave the gas pedal a few pumps and finally turned the ignition.

The starter motor began to run. After a few seconds, the Mazda 12A sputtered to life.

"There we go."

I slowly closed the choke. _I'll need to move SA somewhere else, but where? Some public parking lot?_

 _Oh well,_ I thought as I moved into first gear, _I'll think as I drive._

Driving out of the alley, I joined in with the post-peak morning traffic, with no real destination in mind. All the 80s and 90s cars around me, once again commonplace, was making me seriously nostalgic, and I couldn't help but smile even though they were commuter cars. As the SA was not warmed up enough yet, I made sure not to rev the rotary engine over 3000 rpm.

Driving around 1998 Shibukawa was surreal; everything's so peaceful! Well, 2019 Shibukawa is also peaceful, but for some reason I feel much calmer in this period. Maybe it was because my worries in 2019 are gone, about the death of driving and cars at the hands of self-driving and electric cars. But it was much likely that my new surroundings are actually much more peaceful to me. Either way, even with the danger of being penniless in my mind, I felt relaxed as I drove down the quiet street, accompanied by only a few cars.

Turning into another main street, I noticed a smaller street, one that only a single car could pass through. _Hey, I'll check it out!_

Turning left, my rear wheels squeaking, and entering, I drove slowly through, looking for any potential spots. Not long after, an empty space greeted me on my left, enough for the SA to comfortably park in.

 _Alright, this is it._

Setting my gears to neutral and pulling the handbrake, I got out. Locking the doors, I entered the building next to the lot, a two-storey shop selling cameras.

"Welcome!" the shopkeeper greeted as I entered. "What would you like?"

"Hello, I'm not actually here to buy something. Rather, may I ask whether that parking spot next to this shop is being occupied by someone?"

"Oh, not at all!" was the quick reply. "The new neighbors next door don't have a car and won't be buying one anytime soon, and that space has been empty for about a year now."

"May I use that spot to park my car then?"

"Of course, boy!" the middle-aged man smiled.

"Really? Thank you!" I replied, quickly bowing down. "Is there any rental fees, though?"

"Nope! Park there as much as you want, as long as you like."

"Thank you again!"

"Don't mention it!"

Returning to the SA, I quickly got in and reversed into the lot, the rear wheels squeaking through the tight corner. Pleased with my luck, I checked the fuel gauge.

The needle was just next to the "empty" bar.

 _Damn, I'm almost out of fuel._

I shut off my engine and got out, locking the doors after.

I looked at my SA, lovingly stroking her right fender before adjusting the fender mirror on the same side.

 _Now, next thing on the list._

I walked out of the street and started walking, taking the time to further admire my hometown in this era.

* * *

Everything felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time; I don't know whether I should say I'm familiar with this place or otherwise. That didn't damage my good spirits, however, as I walked down the sidewalk, only a few people passing by as it was a weekday during work hours.

"Ah, Silvia!" I commented out loud cheerfully as a S13 drove past me on the street, heading in the same direction as I am. Back in 2019, these cars have became somewhat a rarity, thus my current eagerness at seeing one.

Passing underneath a road bridge, I noticed something unfamiliar; a gas station over where there once was (or would be) an office building.

Feeling a bit hungry and realizing that I had not had breakfast yet, I turned in, hoping to buy something like a rice ball in the convenience store.

"Welcome!" a worker in blue uniform greeted me as I entered. "How may I help you?"

"I'm just here to buy something from the store, thanks for asking."

"Huh? What store?" he asked, confused.

"The store the gas station has- oh, wait…" I faltered, remembering that in this era gas stations had no convenience stores. "My apologies," I quickly bowed, "I've been seriously mistaken!"

The man laughed. "There's no store down here, sir! But if you want a drink, there's a vending machine inside!"

"Oh, there is?" I looked up. "I'll buy a drink, then. Thanks!"

"No problem. Oh, a customer!"

He ran to bow to an incoming car, likely coming in for gas.

I sighed, relieved that I avoided a potentially bad situation by blurting out too much.

Entering the office, I noticed the vending machine next to the counter. Behind said counter was a middle-aged man, smoking a cigarette. The word "Manager" was clearly visible on his badge.

"Welcome! What would you like?"

"Just a drink," I replied, pointing to the vending machine.

"I see, go ahead."

Taking out my wallet, I put in a few coins into the machine. _Wait, did I put in coins that do not exist yet?!_

No coin was rejected by the machine. I internally sighed in relief as I picked a can of coffee from the selections.

"Hey," I asked the , bending down to pick up the can, remembering that I still need a job, "are you hiring any new staff here?"

The manager looked at me, curious. "I am a bit short on staff these days, so yeah. What, you interested in work?"

"Yes!" I replied eagerly, standing up. "You see, I'm, uh, a bit new here, and I'm out of any income, so I really need a job to support myself!"

"You're new here, huh," he replied, smiling. "No income?"

"Nope! I don't even have a room to stay in!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, ehehe…"

"Were you kicked out by your parents or something like that?"

"Um… you can say that. I've got no other clothes or official documents either, all I have is a small stack of cash."

"Hmm… Let me think about it first."

The man stood there, pondering my request. I took the time to open my can of coffee and start drinking.

"Full time, is it?"

"Yeah."

"Can you start work now?"

"Yes!"

"Good, you're hired."

"Really?!" I looked at him, estatic.

"Yep. What's your name?"

"Narahiko, Adachi Narahiko."

"Narahiko, I see. My name is Tachibana Yuichi, but you can call me 'Boss'."

"Alright, boss!"

He chuckled. "That's good. Also, at the same time, there's an unused room at the back where you can stay in, while there's a washing machine in another room. It's nothing much, but it's the best I can do."

"You're providing me a place to stay too? Thank you so much!" I happily replied, bowing.

"Don't mention it. Now, owing to your current situation, I'll give you half a month's pay first, then give you the other half once the month is over. You'll receive full pay per month, which is 1100 yen an hour and 154,000 yen a month, starting from next month, after you've settled in. Is that fine with you!"

"Of course! Thank you for accepting me!"

"You're welcome. I'll go get your new uniform and half-month salary first, wait here."

He walked into the staff area on the right, probably to his personal office.

 _Man, thank goodness! I finally have a job!_

I finished my coffee and threw the can into the nearby bin.

A few minutes later, Mr Tachibana came out with a set of uniform and a stack of cash. "Here you go, you can start work now. Also, here are the keys to your room, you can enter from either going there," he said, pointing towards the entrance to the staff area on the right, " and going all the way to the last door, or from the back of this building, there's a clean bed at the rear. You should use the money on your clothes first, you aren't gonna wear that all the time, are you?"

"Nope," I replied, taking the items. "Thanks."

"No problem. Get going, you've got 5 minutes."

Putting the money in my pocket first then walking into the staff area, I walked all the way to the end, meeting a door on my left. I unlocked it with the keys Mr Tachibana gave me and entered, turning on the lights.

It was minimalist, but clean. A surprisingly-clean bed, complete with a mattress, and a small table with its chair was all the room had, but it was more than enough for me. Below the table was a drawer, its key hanging from the keyhole.

I checked whether the back door was locked. Confirming that it was, I checked underneath the bed, then the table. All clean.

 _Now all that's left is that drawer._

I slowly opened it and checked the insides, expecting a cockroach to jump onto me (I fear them). Nothing.

 _Boss kept this room clean even though it was unused._

Sighing in relief, I closed it, taking the key out. I quickly changed into my new uniform, not wanting to be late.

Once I was done, I reached out for my phone, placing it in the drawer and locking it. I'm not going to risk letting anyone see that. Folding my usual clothes and placing them neatly on the bed. Getting out and locking the front door, I put on and adjusted my cap, walking out of the staff area.

Mr Tachibana was back behind the counter. "Right on time! Do you know how things go in a gas station?"

I nodded, having had prior experience working in one before. Or after.

"Good! Oh, there's a customer coming in!" he said, pointing towards a car entering. "Here you go!" he added, tossing me a towel so that I could wipe the windshield of cars.

"Thanks!" I replied, running out of the office. "Welcome!"

* * *

"Thank you!" I said, bowing down to a leaving car that had just refueled.

"You can get off work now," Mr Tachibana said, stepping out as all the other workers began to leave. "I'll be handling the place until we close, go buy your clothes."

"Wait, it's over already?" I asked, surprised at how fast time went.

"Yep, your shift's 10 am to 6 pm. There's a department store just ahead, you'll be able to buy your clothes there."

"Alright boss, thanks!" I replied, jogging back to my room. Changing into my normal clothes, I walked off to the department store, waving to a smoking Mr Tachibana as I walked off.

Within half an hour, I had done my shopping, returning to the gas station with two bags of clothes, an alarm clock and a watch.

"Ah, Narahiko! I've bought dinner for you today!"

"Really? Thanks, boss!"

"You didn't even eat lunch, have you noticed?"

"Oh, that's right…" I recalled. When Mr Tachibana called me for lunch break earlier, I told him that I'll be fine, intending to find and eat a rice ball sometime later. _Looks like I've lost track of time again, heh._

Putting down my stuff in my room, I came out and sat on the sofa with Mr Tachibana, quickly digging into my bento set.

"Slow down, kid," he laughed. "By the way, by any chance, are you interested in cars?"

"Oh, yes I am!" I replied, looking up.

"Really? What about the touge?"

I smiled, enthusiastic. "Yep!"

"Wow, nice! I've got a few people around that have the same interests too."

"You do?"

"Yeah! Iketani and Itsuki are in, I'll say Takumi's slowly being reeled into the group too. What about drifting?"

"Drifting? I prefer using grip, but drifting is fun too! Just that, isn't drifting ultimately more showy than effective while cornering?"

"Ohoho, a grip guy, you're different from those two. Well, you can drift for maximum cornering speed, but you're right on that it's more showy than effective. Why do you think people drift when they're racing, then?" he asked, looking up at me.

"I think it's got something to do with rhythm than physical advantage. When I dri- I mean, when someone drifts, I suppose that there's some form of rhythm that the driver has that isn't as effective as when you're using grip all the time. Grip may be faster, but drifting can be more fun, depending on the tastes of the driver of course."

I was, of course, speaking from experience; when I drift, although I may be slower or have no improved timings as compared to gripping through the corner at most, I enjoy it just as much as grip. Furthermore, there _is_ some kind of "passionate rhythm" I feel when drifting, which is not as obvious as when I'm using grip. It does tax my tires much more, though.

"You're right, there's a certain rhythm to drifting that isn't present in grip driving, and some drivers find that more comfortable. You seem really knowledgeable, do you drive?"

"I have my license, but I'm not exactly skilled… I don't have a car, either."

"Oh? So how do you know all of this?"

"I sit with a friend while he's driving, then borrow his car for a few runs while he watches. But he… moved away," I quickly thought up as an excuse, "so I've not been able to practice since."

"I see, interesting. Do you like driving?"

"Of course!"

He smiled. "Then that's enough for you to go far. You _can_ go far, Narahiko; you just need the proper help."

"T-thank you, boss."

"You thanked me too much for the past day!" he chuckled.

"It's a habit I guess, heheh."

* * *

It was about 9 as we finished dinner and went on chatting about cars and the touge. Hearing the sounds of engines that don't sound like they're from a normal commuter's car, I looked over the window.

"Hey, do these cars pass by often?" I asked Mr Tachibana as a few sports cars passed by the gas station. A Skyline, a Civic, a few S13s, some 180SXs…

"Amazing," was my reply as he got up too, looking at them. "Akina is lit up like a festival. Rumors about this battle between Iketani's team and Akagi's fastest team has spread all over the place."

"A battle? A team from Mount Akagi?" I asked, beginning to feel really excited.

"Yeah," he replied, lighting a cigarette.

"I want to go badly, but I'll skip. I'm beat…" I commented out loud.

 _So this is the mountain pass scene back in this era, the one I loved so much. Man, if I wasn't very tired right now I'd be there in a jiffy._

"I wonder who will win?" Mr Tachibana wondered out loud.

"Is Iketani racing?"

"No, he got into an accident a few days ago. Nothing serious, but he had to wear a cast, thus why he wasn't here today. His S13 is damaged, too."

"Oh, that's bad…"

"Don't worry about that, Narahiko; if Takumi decides to race…"

"What about Takumi?"

"Well, I'm good friends with his father, and since that kid's been delivering tofu for 5 years already, if he decides to go he might win."

"5 years? How old is he?"

"18."

"Wait," I thought, doing a quick calculation in my head, "he's been driving since he was 13?!"

"Apparently, if what Bunta says is true. He drives just like his father, at least when I saw him the other day."

"Amazing…"

Soon, Mr Tachibana had to return home.

"Wait, boss!" I stopped him just as he walked out. "Can I purchase a full jerry can of high octane?"

"Hm? What for?"

"I… uh… kinda want to use it for personal stuff. Promise it isn't anything weird, I'll pay!"

He looked at me for a few moments with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, wait here."

Going back in and bringing out a jerry can, he filled it up with high octane for me, screwing the lid shut once he was done. I paid, and after making sure nothing else needed attention, he waved goodbye and driving away in his Camry.

Fast-forward to near-midnight, I was lying on my bed, looking up at the ceiling, not yet asleep.

 _Now's pretty late… Should I?_

 _Sure thing!_

Getting up, I picked up the jerry can, exited the building, locked the door and headed off to my SA, realizing that she wasn't parked far away.

Arriving and unlocking it, I opened the gas cap and emptied the entire can into the gas tank. "Yes, perfect. You've got fuel now."

Done with my refueling, I looked at the SA for a while, before coming to a decision

I went back to the gas station, intending to get some sleep before I head off to Akina.

I set my alarm to 3 am.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to the sound of annoying beeping. Getting up, I turned off my alarm clock then turned on the lights.

I went over to the bathroom and did my "business" first, before standing in front of a sink. Realizing that I had forgotten to buy a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, I groaned and resorted to repeatedly rinsing my mouth and scraping my teeth with my fingernails. It'll have to do for today, at least I'll have a relatively-clean mouth.

Returning to my room, I noticed that I've forgotten to turn off my phone last night, so I returned and opened the drawer, taking it out.

17%. Thankfully I've got my plug and USB cable in the SA, I'll bring them back after my drive.

Placing the smartphone back in the drawer, I grabbed the SA's key and relocked it. I left the gas station soon after and headed to my car.

Getting behind the wheel once more and shutting the door, I pulled out the choke and turned the key in the ignition.

The Mazda 12A roared to life, and I smiled, slowly pushing in the manual choke.

"Alright, let's go," I said once I was done, turning on the headlights, releasing the handbrake and putting the car into first gear.

The SA rolled out of the parking spot, rear wheels skidding during the sharp turn, and onto the street as I drove cautiously, not wanting to rev the engine over 3000 rpm before it has warmed up.

Soon, I was on a main street, headed for Akina. Deciding that the rotary engine has sufficiently warmed up, I began to use the rpm ranges over 3000, not going over 4000 as I was not racing.

I smiled again and relaxed, happy to be driving the SA again. Just like in 2019, at 3 in the morning Shibukawa is at its quietest.

A few short minutes later, I approached the start of the Akina touge.

 _Practice run uphill first? Or do I save everything for the downhill?_

 _I'll just start with the uphill_.

As soon as I entered the course and began to drive up the mountain, I stepped onto the gas more, using all 7 thousand rpm the rotary engine has to offer.

I instinctively braked before a speed hump, before realizing that they didn't exist back in this time.

 _Ah, that's right, forgot about that,_ I mused, chuckling, before speeding up again. _I don't need to worry about them anymore._

With a burning spirit, I took on the uphill the fastest I could, the SA's tires barely gripping onto the asphalt through the five hairpins. Without any speed bumps around, I attacked each corner without any fear. In a short while, I had arrived at the first uphill straightaway, the SA charging ahead, her carbureted, naturally-aspirated 12A spinning at 7000 rpm.

 _I've never been this fast on Akina before! I can't imagine how much fun the downhill will be!_

As I tackled the corners, the nonexistence of the humps highlighted how unfamiliar I was with the optimum entry speeds of this perfect condition of Akina, thus I was entering at slower speeds when I could have sped up. As it was an uphill, however, I could afford to learn from these mistakes with a lesser risk of an accident as compared to the downhill.

 _Much lesser risk…_ I thought as I oversped my entry at a corner, the SA taking the outside lane and barely getting away from hitting the guardrail. _That was close. I don't wanna do the amateur slow-in-fast-out, but guess I don't have a choice, huh._

Taking that in mind, I slowed down and entered the corners at a lower speed than I usually would, taking the time to analyze the SA's grip limits around them.

Soon, I was at the end of the uphill, Akina's stopping point clearly visible on front of me. I slowed down enough and U-turned, prepared to run the downhill.

With a grin, I stepped on the gas, starting my downhill run.

All 4 tires of the SA screeched as I cleared the first corner, no longer slowing down for a speed bump. I rocketed down the mountain pass, being able to drive here with no holds barred greatly pleasing me.

 _Damn, I've never been this fast down here!_

I barreled down the first straightaway, reaching 160 km/h before needing to slow down. Feeling the mood, I sent the SA into a combat drift across the corner, just as I did at the 5 hairpins and final corner the last time I drove the downhill.

"Can we go faster?" I asked my SA as we turned the lazy right, her and I being practically one at that point.

Knowing that there was a sharp left corner after this and remembering what one of my friends had once taught me, I turned right, then quickly jerked left.

The car's momentum carried us across the left turn, all 4 wheels screeching. It was a relatively simple move, but I just executed the Scandinavian Flick on my first proper downhill attack on Akina.

"Heh, alright then!" I replied, finding the courage to brake later and enter the next corner faster.

 _I wanna replace the drums with discs, they've faded,_ I thought, finally thinking about the fading of the rear brakes that started somewhere halfway through the uphill. That's the problem drum brakes had; heat builds up in them, thus leading to fading. My front brakes, however, do not have that problem; the SA, like most if not all sports cars at that time, came with front disc brakes as factory stock.

I gripped through the five hairpins with ease and did the same with the next corner, but halfway through the following corner, my rear tires slipped, sending me into a heavy oversteer.

"Oh, crap!"

Instinctively, I stepped on the brakes, knowing how not to lock them up.

The SA, thankfully, only ended up turning 180 degrees backwards as my braking forced the car to spin around.

I sat there for a few moments, catching my breath and pressing down on the brake pedal as my RX-7 idled in the middle of the road, stationary.

Putting her into neutral, I laughed, happy at how things are at Akina now and at my current situation. This was certainly the best Akina had been, and I'm finally not missing out.

I decided to go to the very bottom, allow myself and the SA to rest for a while before running the uphill and downhill.

* * *

 _I'd look perfect with a cigarette here,_ I mused as I leaned back against the SA's left door, breathing in the fresh mountain air. _I don't smoke, though. Maybe I should?_

Checking my watch, I realized that it was about 4:10 am; I was having so much fun I had completely lost track of time.

 _Oh well, time to go back down. One last downhill and I'm going back._

Getting into the SA, I went through with my usual procedures before driving down the course one last time for the night.

As I finished the light right corner and entered the second straightaway, I immediately noticed approaching headlights in the distance. As I was already in the correct lane, I just made sure not to veer into the other.

The two lights closed in and the car they were originating from was fast approaching me. Time seemed to slow down a bit as I focused and observed the white and black hatchback as it began to pass me.

 _AE86! What does it say on the door-_

Within that half a second that took place as I registered only the design of the car and not its details, the Panda Trueno disappeared behind me, only its tail lights momentarily visible before it entered the corner.

 _Man, those cars were rare! I'm lucky!_

Grinning, I resumed by fast-paced downhill.

* * *

Fujiwara Takumi yawned as he reversed the hachi-roku into the parking spot beside his home. Last night's race against Takahashi Keisuke in his FD was still fresh in his mind, and for some reason he liked it; in fact, he felt like he wanted to do it again. His father, as promised, had allowed him to use the car to bring Natsuki out to the beach, and of course there would be a full tank of gas for him to use. But he wanted to sleep first; it was 5 in the morning, and since he would pick Mogi up at nine, he would have about 3 more hours of sleep after the tofu delivery run he just completed.

Something else was also in his mind, however; a green car he passed while he was driving uphill. He had never seen anything like it, but it looked old, complete with classic fender mirrors. He also noted how it sounded a bit like the FD as the engine "buzzed" as it passed him; he would ask his father about it.

Entering his home, crossing the tofu shop and into the living room, Takumi placed the keys on the table beside his father, who was reading his newspaper while taking a break.

The young man hesitated for a moment. "Hey, old man."

"Hm?" Fujiwara Bunta looked up from the paper.

"I saw an old car at Akina just now, it was green and had fender mirrors."

"That could be any old car," was the reply. "Did it have round headlights and a shiny bar at the front?" he asked before Takumi could leave.

"No."

"It couldn't be a Datsun Z then. Green, you say? Wait here."

Remembering something, Bunta reached out for a magazine he picked up at Yuichi's gas station two days ago. Flipping the pages, he found a particular picture and showed it to the younger Fujiwara. "This one?"

"Yeah," Takumi confirmed.

"That's a first generation Mazda RX-7, called either the SA or FB based on their chassis codes. Since it has fender mirrors, that'll likely be the older SA. They used to call it the Savanna RX-7, and I have raced against them myself. It's the first RX-7 to exist and a predecessor to that brat's car you raced a few hours ago."

Something about the mention of Keisuke's FD piqued Takumi's interest more. "Are they fast?"

"For their time, yes. At stock, the rotary engine gives 100 hp along with its signature light weight, and the car came with front MacPherson struts and a live rear axle, just like the hachi-roku. Also has 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. However, they have rear drum brakes, which become less effective over time as heat builds up in them. Furthermore, that car came out 20 years ago; a stock Eight-Six can already outrun it even on a straight line."

"Doesn't sound too fast…"

"Tuning exists, so I'd be careful if I were to race him. I've never heard of an SA near here though, did you see the plate?"

"I did, it's a Gunma plate."

"Hmm…"

* * *

I put on my gas station attire, grabbing my cap on my way out of the room. Locking the door, then heading off to spend another few minutes rinsing my mouth and feeling satisfied with it, I walked out of the staff area and out of the air-conditioned area.

"I can't believe it!" I heard a guy I've not met yesterday shout to Mr Tachibana, who was listening intently. "Takumi beat Takahashi Keisuke and his FD!"

"It was amazing!" another guy continued, wearing a bandage on his head. "I couldn't believe it last night!"

"It really felt like a dream," a third guy chimed in, but unlike the other two, he wasn't wearing the gas station uniform.

"Sounds like Takumi's really amazing," Mr Tachibana commented as I walked over. "Oh, Narahiko, just on time!" he said, noticing me.

"Morning," I replied, still a bit tired from the early morning run I had with the SA.

"Oh, boss, new guy?" the guy with the bandage asked.

"Yep, his name's Narahiko. He's into cars too."

"Really?!" all three of them exclaimed, swarming around me in an instant. "Do you have a car?!"

"U-um, no, eheh…" I stammered through my lie, not used to this amount of attention. "But I've got my driving license!"

"You're eighteen?" the guy not in uniform asked.

"Nineteen, actually."

"Hmm, you don't look like you're older than seventeen," the other guy said, looking at my features. "Anyway, I'm Itsuki, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Iketani," the guy with the head bandage introduced himself.

"Kenji here," the other guy finished. "I don't work here."

"Nice to meet you guys," I replied with a grin. "I'm Narahiko."

"Hey, can we call you Nara instead?" Itsuki asked. "It'll be much easier for us to remember!"

"Oh, sure thing!"

"Nice! Let's all get along well with you!" Iketani said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Mmh!"

"So, how much do you know about the touge?"

* * *

"Boy! I don't know how many times I've been asked the same thing this morning!" Iketani went on. "'Who was in that 86 yesterday?'"

"I was asked many times too," Kenji replied. "Anyway, he beat Takahashi Keisuke yesterday; it's no surprise people are talking."

"I got carried away… I told everyone that the 86 was the secret weapon of the Speed Stars. We have to find a way to get Takumi to join the Speed Stars, otherwise we'll be embarrassed later."

The three of them, I found out after Mr Tachibana left for something and they were done talking about me, were talking about the "Takumi" guy that the boss mentioned yesterday. To summarize it, apparently there was a race against the Akagi RedSuns, the fastest team from Mount Akagi and are famous in this time, thus the large amount of cars heading over to Akina last night. On that race, Takumi, driving an 86, won against a formidable opponent driving a tuned-up FD named Takahashi Keisuke and became the unlikely winner, finally defeating the undefeatable RedSuns.

 _Knew it, I should have went to Akina last night._

 _Wait, is Takumi's 86 the 86 I saw earlier today on Akina?_

At the moment, the three of them are talking about getting Takumi, who was away somewhere, to join the Akina Speed Stars, their team. Well, Itsuki's not in the team, probably because he doesn't have a car yet.

"If Takumi will join us, you're in. Right?" Iketani confirmed, asking Kenji as he was talking to Itsuki.

"Oh, yeah…" was the reply from the man in the brown shirt.

"Kyuuuuuuuuu!" Itsuki went. "Lucky! The negotiation is a success!"

"But how are you gonna get a car?" Kenji asked.

"I'm glad you asked! I've already made up my mind!"

"Oh!" the other two went. "You've finally saved up the money!"

"I'll ask my dad to sign for me and get a loan for an Eight-Six!" the younger man said with determination in his voice.

Iketani and Kenji momentarily acted in exasperation to finding out that Itsuki still didn't have enough money to buy a car.

"Takumi has a Panda Trueno, so I'll look for a red or black Levin, and someday we'll be called the Hachi-Roku pair, the fastest in Akina! Urehehehehehehe! Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The other two simply stared at Itsuki, stuck in his daydream, with blank faces.

 _Panda Trueno. Are there two or more Panda Trueno AE86s around here?_

"But, Itsuki…" the bandaged man began, "Takumi's Hachi-Roku's not a normal Hachi-Roku."

"That's right," Kenji added on, "it was faster than the FD with 350 hp. It must have incredible tuning."

"It depends, I'll say," I chimed in for the first time in a while, deep in thought.

"Eh?" I heard Itsuki say.

"That 86 likely has some tuning done to it that made it potent enough to take on that FD, but I don't think it's anything drastic, at least when it comes to power. The rotary engine's great, but in order to reap its power and torque you'd have to rev it high up, which may not be possible at Akina due to the lack of enough straights if that 13B-REW's tuned for that amount of power and thus giving the hachi-roku an advantage of sorts. I don't know what kind of performance Takumi's car has, but I doubt it's got anything major done to the engine."

"But, Nara," Kenji asked, "that may be true, but you've never seen the Eight-Six in a race yet."

"Yeah, that's just my opinion," I smiled, before a thought came to me. "But did you guys see how the 86 launched with the FD when the race first started?"

"I was there!" Kenji replied happily. "The FD took the lead at the start, but based on the walkie-talkies the RedSuns had, Takumi kept up and overtook the FD at the five hairpins."

"I think I've put it together," I concluded. "You guys may be right about the tuning, but it's not the engine that's special; it's the agility of that car. Or, could the monster be the driver himself?"

"Ehh?!" the three of them went.

"Why don't we go along when he goes for Akina's downhill record?" Iketani suggested.

"Wow, that's a great idea!" Kenji agreed, excited.

"I wanna ride too!" Itsuki chimed in.

"I'll come along," I agreed, wanting to see how Takumi drives.

"We can go where no one has gone before!" the bandaged man declared. "I can't even imagine it…" he said, looking up.

"Yeah…" the other two replied, doing the same.

"I bet it's greater than any extreme roller coaster…"

"Yeah…"

I giggled, watching them collectively daydream about riding in that 86.

"Crap!" Itsuki shouted, startling everyone. "Right now, Takumi is…! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And thus, the conversation deviated to Takumi going to the beach with a girl today.

* * *

That night, I decided to drive on Akina again, just like I've always done in 2019 before I ended up in 1998. Not like I've got anything better to do, anyway.

As I drove up the mountain pass, I was thinking about the conversation at the gas station earlier today.

 _Takumi's 86… Is it the 86 I saw earlier this morning? Either way, I wanna ride in it and watch that guy drive._

I slowed down and kept to the left side of the road, allowing a car behind me to pass.

I instantly recognized the car as it thundered across my right, its rotary engine clearly audible with "RedSuns", in red, pasted on its side.

"That's an FC!" I commented out loud as the white fastback overtook me, followed by a black car which darted past me, surprising me. I recognized the engine sounds of a Nissan RB26DETT, its turbochargers' wastegates whooshing as the driver shifted upwards. I caught the purple words "Night Kids" pasted on the car's side as it overtook me.

I already knew what car that was; I just wanted to confirm by seeing its rear.

"Holy hell… BNR32!"

The GT-R logo reflected off my headlights momentarily before disappearing into darkness, the taillights visible before the GT-R rounded the corner ahead.

"We can't keep up with them," I said to nobody in particular (actually to my SA), knowing the limits to my green rotary-powered sports car. The 12A grumbled at the low rpms, as if SA herself was lamenting her lack of enough performance against cars like that.

"I'll streetport you soon, I promise," I mumbled softly.

 **Author's Note: I have and will add a bit of references to other Initial D fanfiction occasionally, good for you if you managed to spot them. Also, a little trivia: Narahiko here, due to his looks and build, can and _has_ crossplayed as Syanago Collection's SA-chan before. It was a dare. Please don't embarrass him by mentioning it too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, author here! Sorry for the months-long hiatus, but I kinda lost my groove and couldn't get myself to continue. But it's fine now.**

 **By the way, I may add references to the fanfics of other people, so good for you if you spot them!**

 _Four_

I slowed down and parked at a siding. Resting back into my seat, I frowned in frustration.

This wasn't a new problem; it's nothing new that the SA does significantly lack in power, and it's a problem that I was unhappy with. I have replaced the exhaust system with one that flows more freely and doesn't choke the engine, raising the power output by a few horsepower, as well as lightened the car as much as I could via removing the carpets and noise dampeners, while using alloy wheels in order to make the car go just a bit faster than before. She _did_ go faster; it just still isn't enough, and I didn't exactly have the time to pull out the engine and enlarge the intake ports, which will allow more air to enter and thus increase the engine's power output.

 _Well, at least until now maybe._

Remembering the complete lack of racing experience I had, I realized that I really didn't think the lack of power was as significant before I came into this era.

 _I really need to fix this._

Turning around, I headed downhill, deep in thought.

* * *

It was another new day, and that means another day's work. I was busy tying up my left shoe's laces while Iketani, who had already arrived, was reading a magazine behind the counter.

As I was finishing up with the knot, I heard the front door open. "Good morning!"

One voice was Itsuki, I quickly deduced. The other voice, however, was unfamiliar.

"Yo!" Iketani and I replied as I stood up and turned around.

 _Yep, unfamiliar face,_ I thought as I looked at a guy around the same age as me.

He looked back. "Oh, someone new?"

"Ah, yeah!" Iketani replied. "This is Narahiko, he just started working a few days ago."

"Just call me Nara," I replied, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Fujiwara Takumi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" I replied, shaking hands. "I hope we get along well!"

 _So this is the guy driving the hachiroku…_

"Mmh. Oh, here, Iketani-senpai," Takumi said, handing over to Iketani a plastic bag with something inside.

"Huh? What's that?" the older man asked.

"Fried tofu, left over from yesterday. My father told me to give it to you."

"Oh, really?" he asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Mmh. I'll put it in the refrigerator," the young man replied, heading towards the nearby fridge with Itsuki following behind.

"Wow, I'm surprised he thought about me," Iketani chuckled.

* * *

"You're kidding, since junior high?" I commented, extremely surprised and fascinated.

"You've been driving far longer than I have…" Iketani replied to the young Fujiwara, impressed. "Since junior high, you've been driving everyday, even in the rain and snow, on the Akina pass."

"It's early in the morning," the young Fujiwara continued, looking away slightly, "so I don't see anyone-"

"No, not that!" the older man interrupted. "Those corners! Weren't you scared?"

"Well… in the beginning I was scared. But the fear was completely gone within six months. When I accelerate, the tires slip naturally, so it took another six months until I could slip and control them as I want."

"That means…" the boss commented, also in the conversation, "you've mastered the downhill in a year."

"When you drive everyday, your nervousness about slipping disappears quickly," Takumi continued to explain. "I had nothing to do, so I started to see how close I could get to the guardrails."

"Hmm… Wait, _what?_ " I blurted out, going for a double take. "While drifting?"

"Mmh," was the short, quick reply I got.

 _While drifting?! I would understand if it's grip, but-_

"Would a normal person do something dangerous like that?!" Itsuki asked, baffled.

The young Fujiwara scratched the back of his right ear. "I never thought it was dangerous. When I'm at my best, I can get as close as about 1 cm."

"Ehh?!" was the collective response all of us gave at the same time.

"O-one centimeter…?" I uttered out.

"Unless I find fun stuff like that to do, it's pretty boring helping with my father's business," Takumi continued. "That's why I've never wanted to improve as a driver… but I will get impatient and would want to get home faster. So when I don't have tofu on the way back, I go as fast as I can."

"Takumi, can I ask you a question?" Mr Tachibana asked suddenly.

"Yea."

"How do you drive when you have tofu in the car? If you go too fast, you'll damage the tofu, won't you?"

"I can't go very fast on the uphill…" was the reply. "My father puts water in a paper cup and puts it in the cup holder. If i can drive without spilling the water, he says I won't damage the tofu, even if I'm going fast."

"Oh…" the boss replied understandingly, and I had also caught on to what Takumi was saying.

 _Center of balance and inertia._

"In the beginning, I found it to be very difficult," Takumi continued. "Even when I drove slowly, it still spilled over."

"I would think so…" Boss commented.

"Braking, steering, shifting, accelerating, if one of them was a little rough, the water spills. My father often says to roll the water in the paper cup."

"Roll the water in the cup?" Iketani asked.

"I suppose it's the surface tension… The water's surface area makes it roll around the rim of the cup. At each corner, I roll the water to the edge of the rim as I drive up the mountain. It took me a long time before I can drift without spilling the water."

All of us stepped back in surprise. "Drift without spilling the water?!" Iketani asked again, baffled. "Can you really do that?!"

Out of the blue, Itsuki just straight up lunged at the young Fujiwara, grabbing the latter by the collar. Not in a menacing way, just in a way friends would do to each other playfully, or something along the lines of that.

"Don't lie! You're just joking, right?!" he shouted.

"I'm not, Itsuki!"

"The primary point of controlling a car is its center of balance," Boss said as we watched the both of them "argue".

"The Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya himself, also says in a video…" Iketani continued.

"... in order to drive without water in a paper cup, you have to master the car's center of balance," Mr Tachibana finished.

"And he's drifting…" I commented.

We watched the two of them continue their little "fight", as it has escalated as Itsuki grabbed the collar of the young Fujiwara from behind. "It's impossible to do that!" the former shouted.

"I-I'm not lying!" was the reply from Takumi as he struggled.

"Just because you beat Keisuke Takahashi! You're carrying it too far! I know better-"

A waiting car, a R32 Skyline, honked.

"Oh, a customer," Fujiwara said as Itsuki released his grasp, the two of them walking over to service the customer. "Welcome! Fill it up with high octane? Yes, sir!"

I watched Takumi in particular, astounded and with newfound respect to the guy. "Him and his dad…" I muttered to myself. "They're nothing short of amazing."

"His technique is more than just the average mountain pass racer," Boss commented, overhearing me. "Amazing, Bunta."

"Thank you very much!" both Takumi and Itsuki bowed as the Skyline drove away.

Right at that moment, Iketani suddenly walked up to the young Fujiwara, surprising the latter as he turned around.

The older man had a determined look on his face. "Takumi, I have a favor to ask. Can you let me ride next to you on Akina's downhill?"

The young Fujiwara stared at him in surprise. "H-huh?"

"Please!" Iketani asked again, looking even more determined.

"I'll go along too!" Itsuki chimed in, excited. "Come on Takumi, say yes!"

"O-okay…" the young Fujiwara replied. "But I need to ask my father first…"

"That's great! Thank you!" Iketani grinned excitedly. "I'll get Kenji!"

"What about you, Nara?" Itsuki asked as all heads turned towards me.

"Of course! If that's fine with you guys, that is," I replied eagerly, putting my hands into my pockets. "But still, I don't have a car, so…"

My right hand grabbed onto the keys of the SA.

"That's fine, I'm sure Kenji can pick you up as well!" the older man reassured me. "Wait… me, Itsuki, you… Ah, yeah, there's enough room!"

"Sweet!" I grinned. "Thanks. So, what time do you come over to pick me up?"

* * *

"Hey, Nara, I've got something to ask you," Mr Tachibana said as I waited at the gas station."

"Sure thing, Boss," was my reply.

Iketani told me the rest that they'll pick me up at 9:30 in the evening, so here I am waiting for them, at 9:25 pm. 5 more minutes to go.

"Do you want to take your weekend off?"

"Hm?" I turned to look at him. "I would like to, but wouldn't my pay…"

"Nah, it'll still be the same monthly."

"Wait, what? Doesn't that mean that you're paying me more per the hour?"

"That's right," he replied, smiling. "You know, your pay's rather low at the moment, considering that you work on weekends as well. So, I've decided to let you off on Saturday and pay you more on weekdays."

"Wait, really? But…"

"What, my station's earning less? Don't worry about it, you'll be glad to know that I've still got ample profits, and seeing how you're booted out of your home, I think you deserve Saturdays and Sundays off."

"Oh, alright. Thanks!" I replied, glad that I have my weekends off now.

"Don't mention it. Take these two days as a sort of overtime, if you may. And that looks like Iketani and the others," the boss pointed out as a white Nissan 180SX pulled into the gas station.

* * *

"Nice car," I commented from the rear left seat as Kenji drove up Akina. "I like the shade of white."

"Thanks!" he replied happily. "Say, Nara, don't you have a license? Why don't you buy a car?"

"Eh?" I replied, not exactly expecting that question. _Come on, think!_ "W-well, you can say my parents don't _exactly_ approve me driving. It's the reason why I was kicked out of home too, ehehe…"

"Huh? Why would they do such a thing?" Iketani commented. "You're a car guy, you're missing out on all the fun!"

"I know, right?" I replied, more convincingly as I tapped into my annoyance of having to keep my SA a secret and my disdain for self-driving cars. "I said I'd return the money to them when I get a job, but they just won't listen! 'Don't drive, it's dangerous!' they said before I argued with them and got thrown out. When has anything ever existed without risk of danger?"

"Hear, hear!" the older man in the passenger seat agreed. "You tell em, Nara! You've got a job now, though, so at least you'll have the money to get one. Will they let you back, though?"

I sighed, looking out of the window. "I don't think so," I muttered. "Them not kicking me out of the house when I got my driving license is a fluke, if I bring a car back I'm definitely dead meat."

I felt Itsuki, who was sitting beside me, put his arm over my shoulder. "I tell you, Nara, cars are the way to freedom! You got to convince your parents to give you your freedom!"

I chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. I hope I can get them to let me drive in future."

"Why are they so against you driving, though?" Kenji asked, curious as he turned a corner.

"Well, they irrationally find it dangerous," I made up, again tapping into my dislike for automated cars. "They're the type that will advocate for the banning of human driving once self-driving cars come out-"

 _Crap!_

"Self-driving cars?" Iketani pondered. "I've read about them in a magazine, but they seem fine. Kenji saw it too, right?"

"Yeah, I remember," the other older man replied. "With them in self-driving cars we drivers can drive all we want with a lesser risk of colliding."

"That's if they don't make them such that all cars need to be self-driving to work," I commented, relaxing as I realized that I didn't screw up. "The way I see how they're going to go, they'll ban driving because all the cars need to 'communicate' as a collective, and that means we enthusiasts are going to die off."

"Ehh?!" Itsuki shouted. "They wouldn't!"

"Well, hopefully they won't," I replied. "Hopefully. Wouldn't be fair for everyone if we're all not allowed to drive just because some people think it's 'too dangerous' behind the wheel."

Everyone else was silent for a few moments. "Yeah, when you put it that way, it's bad…" Iketani commented. "I can't imagine a day where I'm not allowed to drive anything, what more my S13?"

"Yeah, I'll not be able to drive my 180 either," Kenji joined in.

"I wanna drive like Takumi…" Itsuki moped, having a face that reminds me of a whimpering puppy, even with the tears.

"Yeah, it'll be bad for all of us," I continued, heartened that I was no longer the only one against self-driving cars. "So, I hope they allow those cars and us to coexist on the roads. It's better for everyone that way."

"Hey, you're pretty thoughtful on that topic, Nara," Kenji commented as we approached the top of Akina. "Nobody thought about that, It's almost as if you know what's going to happen!"

I giggled. "Nah, I'm just a bit more observant I guess."

* * *

We waited at the top of the mountain pass, two members of the Speed Stars coincidentally with us. It has been a few minutes since we arrived, and Takumi was nowhere in sight. I rested against a guardrail as the others chatted among themselves.

"Hey, where is he?" Itsuki questioned impatiently. "He promised us, if he shook on us I'll never forgive him!"

"He'll be here, I'm sure- hey, look!" Kenji suddenly shouted, pointing at an incoming pair of headlights. "He's here!"

Getting up and turning around, I watched the arriving car along with the others.

As it got closer, I could finally observe the hatchback as it slowed down.

 _AE86, Sprinter Trueno, Panda paintjob. Yep, it's the hachiroku I saw that night._

 _Fujiwara Tofu Shop…_ I finally managed to read the words on the driver's side door as the Toyota passed us. _Zenki, huh,_ I noted as it U-turned and pulled over in front of us.

The passenger window rolled down, and there behind the wheel was Takumi. "Hey."

* * *

After a few minutes of banter and excitement from everyone, Iketani entered the Corolla, setting himself on the passenger seat.

"Heh, heheheheh, my heart really is beating fast!" the older man commented in a mix of excitement and nervousness, turning to look at Kenji, just beside him outside. "It's just like getting on the extreme ride in an amusement park and waiting for it to go!"

"Oh, shoot," was the reply from the other older man. "Lucky you, I'm envious!"

"I don't think it's that much fun," the young Fujiwara commented, clearly enjoying the company around. "I'm going, Iketani-senpai," he continued, putting the hachiroku into gear.

"Yeah!" the older man replied cheerfully. "I can count on you, Takumi! Go all-out!"

He turned around to face us. "Shoo, shoo! Get away, you guys!" was what he managed to say before the 86 sped off on the downhill.

I leapt over the guardrail and joined the others, watching the Toyota hatchback leave.

"It sounds great…" Itsuki commented.

"It's the best!" Kenji added on. "A turbo can never sound like that!"

We went back to talking while we waited for the 86 to return. And it did, just a few minutes later.

"Huh?" Itsuki wondered as the sound of the 4A-GE got louder, the car's headlights visible from ahead.

"The Eight-Six is back already?" Kenji wondered.

"It's way too soon for a full run," I commented.

"I wonder what happened," Itsuki said as the Toyota stopped in front of us.

Rushing over, the three of us looked through the open window. Takumi was fine.

Iketani was unconscious. Drooling all over.

"Ehh?!"

"H-he passed out…" Itsuki muttered.

I stifled a laughter.

The chubby man yanked the driver side door opened and grabbed the young Fujiwara. "Takumi!"

He softened his grasp. "... Which corner was it?"

The response was three fingers brought up.

"T-the third one…"

I couldn't take it anymore. "Pfft-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"W-what's it, Nara?" Kenji asked, stifling a chuckle himself.

"Y-you don't see it?! I-it's just the third- t-the third- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I tried to reply, but it was way too absurd.

"W-we're going to hell for this! Hahaha!" Kenji joined in, laughing as Itsuki went on about some eyewitness account imitation.

"W-who the hell faints in a car?!" I laughed on, probably enjoying Iketani's misfortune way too much, managing to reduce myself to just giggling.

"Iketani-senpai in the third corner…" Itsuki went on as Kenji also got quieter, not caring about who was listening to him, "... passed out!"

"PWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the two of us burst back into laughing.

"It must be true," Mr Tachibana commented right behind Itsuki.

 _Wait, Boss?_

"Eh?!" the chubby man noticed as Kenji and I abruptly stopped laughing. "Boss! Why are you here?"

All eyes stared at the owner of the gas station.

Boss scratched the back of his head. "Huh? Oh, I w-was just curious, hahaha… I suppose I'm not welcome…"

"No, it's fine," Takumi quickly replied, having already gotten out of his car.

"Oh? May I stay then?"

We all nodded our heads.

"Oh, that's great!" the middle-aged man said.

* * *

It took a few moments to get Iketani out of the passenger seat and rest him beside Kenji's car.

"So, what now?" Itsuki asked. "Is that it?"

"I can go for a full downhill now, if any of you want to," the young Fujiwara added on. "Anyone?"

"I'm too old for this," Mr Tachibana said, lighting a cigarette.

"I-I need to take care of Iketani down here," Kenji followed on as I caught a little glimpse of fear in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm serious!"

"I think I'll stay with him, heheh…" the chubby man replied as well. "Does Nara want to go?"

"Eh? Sure, I don't see why not," I replied, interested in Takumi's driving.

"Let's go then, Nara," the young Fujiwara told me as we both got into the Corolla.

Shutting the door and putting on my seatbelt, I observed the interior of the car.

 _It's factory stock. Doesn't look as radical as some cars. Not even a roll bar? Huh._

 _I like it._

Someone knocked on my window. Rolling it down, Itsuki looked at me with worrying eyes. "What's up?" I asked

"Good luck," he whispered to me in response.

"W-wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going now, Itsuki," Takumi said as he set the hachiroku into gear. With a little grunt, the little hatchback was off, and I rolled up my window.

 _This is gonna be fun._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, author here! Sorry it took a month, was busy. Anyway, I've went back to previous chapters and fixed/revised a few points, the most major of which is the change of date of Nara's first morning in 1998 from April 4 to July 18 in order to fit the Japanese summer vacation period, something that I've accidentally overlooked back then. Sorry for that.**

 **Anyway, without further ado, here's Chapter 5.**

 _Five_

As the 86 accelerated ahead, I had already started to observe the hatchback's behavior.

 _More torque than my SA. Natural, but also more power than the 12A._

… _Also natural._

I felt the first corner approach. Felt, because I was familiar enough with Akina.

 _Not yet, not yet…_

I turned my head to observe the young Fujiwara. He seems relaxed.

 _Here comes the corner-_

In a split second, I froze in fear. Takumi had just exceeded the braking distance I was used to with the SA.

And just as quickly, the young Fujiwara applied the brakes. I held onto the passenger seat tighter.

The Corolla slowed down and went into a combat drift, entering the corner at speeds beyond my comfort zone.

As the car reached the apex, however, I relaxed, knowing that we're not going to crash.

The Toyota exited the corner, its 1600 cc inline-four revving as high as it would go.

 _T-this guy…_

I panted quietly, realizing that the young Fujiwara was a better driver than me. Much, much better.

The speed chime rang. A pleasant sound, but it was unnecessary for me as I was constantly directly looking at the dashboard.

As the next corner arrived, I was much less nervous as the hachiroku went through it, observing as it flawlessly drifted mere centimeters away from the guardrail.

And when the third came, I was no longer afraid, now immersed in seeing what I had done wrong with my driving, and thus learning something new.

Soon enough, we arrived at the first straightaway.

"Aren't you scared?" Takumi asked as we barreled down the open road.

I shook my head. "Not anymore. Man, you're amazing!"

"I-I'm not that great," was the reply I got as I noticed the young Fujiwara blush lightly at the praise. "Rather, you look like you're used to this."

I shrugged, a small smile on my face. "I ride along with others."

"Hmm…"

And as the next corner arrived, the both of us were silent again. It felt like Takumi knew that I've been driving, and that doesn't line up with my claims of not having a car. He could sense my lie, while I could feel that he knew the truth.

 _Driver to driver, huh…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at a nearby diner, three men were just wrapping up a discussion about an upcoming challenge against Akina's 86.

Two of them are brothers. One of them doesn't race, but he serves as the "clerk" for the team.

All three are part of the Akagi RedSuns.

Takahashi Ryosuke sipped his warm tea, after explaining to Keisuke and Fumihiro how turbocharged vehicles were double-edged swords. He has also thought about Nakazato Takeshi's BNR32, the car Akina's 86 would likely race against next. A formidable car indeed, powered by the RB26DETT and utilizing an advanced AWD system, the ATTESA-ETS.

The older Takahashi's mind wandered off to the recent encounter he had with the GT-R, the black Godzilla powering up the uphill, chasing his own beloved FC.

Oh, and there was the green SA.

"Hey, Fumihiro."

"Yes, Ryosuke-san?" Hiroshi responded, looking up from his iced tea.

"Have we ever seen a green SA from the SpeedSuns before?"

"SA?" Keisuke asked, curious.

"First generation RX-7, SA22C," the older Takahashi replied cooly. "They were built between 1978 to 1980, and despite being in the same generation as the FB, they were unique in many ways as well."

"Isn't the FB what all the first-gen RX-7s are?" Fumihiro asked, now curious as well.

"Not quite. The first generation of RX-7s can be divided into 3 series. Series One ran from 1978 to 1980, and these are the SAs. Due to Mazda adhering to American VIN naming conventions, Series Two onwards became the FB for the rest of the generation."

"I see," was the reply. "But why are you interested in one, Ryosuke-san?"

"The FB was slow, wasn't it?" Keisuke chimed in. "Despite what I've seen with that 86, that car won't be any trouble for us."

"That is true; minus the barely-100 hp 12A rotary engine that was the predecessor to the 13B, despite its lightness the SA had flaws that were fixed on the FB, such as the tendency for its front to start to lift up at high speeds," the older Takahashi explained. "However, for the first time, I'm not interested in the performance just yet; I'm concerned about the license plate."

The other two men jumped back, surprised. "Hey, Aniki," the younger Takahashi quietly said, "the driver may be pretty, but you don't have to go _that_ far…"

Ryosuke chuckled in response. "You've both got the wrong idea. When I saw the SA on Akina, there was something off about it, and after reaching the peak I quickly scribbled down its license plate number while it was still fresh in my mind. And here it is," he said, taking out his wallet and handing a slip of paper over to Fumihiro. "I need you to help me out, Fumihiro; look for the SA for me. I've got the number memorized now, so I'll look up the data for the car myself. After I'm done with formulating a plan for the 86, that is."

"Will do, Ryosuke-sama," was the reply.

The younger Takahashi rested his head on his hand. "I still think you've found a pretty girl."

The older Takahashi sipped his tea again. "If you take all cars as feminine per tradition, the SA is a beautiful girl anyway."

"Oh, come on!"

* * *

I drove my SA downhill, the little 12A screaming as I revved high and shifted.

With the corner ahead, I tried braking at the edge of my comfort zone again.

The RX-7 slowed down just enough, and with my foot stepping lightly on the gas, I cornered a little bit faster than usual, passing the apex almost perfectly.

But it still wasn't fast enough. Not at the limit where the hachiroku went with Takumi behind the wheel.

The 86 had increased my desired level of cornering, and has helped me corner faster. But I'm still not faster.

 _Why? This ain't right…_

I went through the next few corners, unable to get the feeling I wanted.

I braked again.

 _Shit, too hot!_

Quickly turning, I narrowly avoided hitting the outside guardrail, obviously botching my cornering attempt.

I stopped the SA in the middle of the road, thinking.

 _I think I made a mistake by welding the differential shut. I tried improving my acceleration, but it didn't work._

I put SA into gear and drove off.

 _Think I need a new differential. I'll ask Boss if there's any tuning shop nearby._

* * *

"A tuning shop, huh…" Mr Tachibana thought for a moment. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Well, just something good-to-know, eheh…" I replied nervously.

The old man looked at me suspiciously.

I sweatdropped. "Eh, what?"

"Hmm… If there's a shop you want, it's Suzuki Motors," the boss suggested. "Masashi's a good friend of mine and Bunta's, he can source many things that people like racers will need. Ah, Bunta's Takumi's father, by the way."

"Yeah, I think I remember that being mentioned," I recalled. "Sounds great Boss, thanks! What's the address?"

"Well- hey, isn't it better if I just bring you there?" the old man asked helpfully, still eyeing me mildly suspiciously.

I sweatdropped again. "N-no, not necessary, don't wanna trouble ya! I also want to do this as a personal thing of mine, but thanks for the offer!" I smiled nervously.

"Hmm…" Mr Tachibana kept his gaze.

"Eh, what?"

"Well, alright then," he finally relented. "The address is…"

* * *

8 pm. My shift was over, and right after dinner I immediately went over to my SA, driving towards the address Mr Tachibana gave me.

Rounding a corner, the lit "Suzuki Motors" sign hung out of the side of a shop.

 _There it is._

Turning in, I stopped in front of the auto shop.

A middle-aged man smoking a wearing a blue uniform, around the same age as Boss, noticed me the moment I turned in, and began to walk towards me from my left.

I got out of the SA, keeping the engine running and moving over to the other side of my car. "Hello! This is Suzuki Motors, right?"

"Sure is, kid!" the man replied. "That's one nice car you've got there! I'm Suzuki Masashi, nice to meet you."

"Adachi Narahiko, but call me Nara. Pleased to meet you, too!" I smiled, shaking hands with him. "Mr Tachibana told me I could come here for car parts."

"Oh, Yuichi!" he replied, surprised. "I take it that you're one of the guys who work at the gas station?"

"Yep! New employee, though."

"I see. Anyway, what do you need?"

"Ah, two things; I want to replace all my suspension bushings with polyurethane ones for starters. I'd need a new factory differential as well. Mine's welded closed and I don't seem to be able to corner as well as compared to with an open one."

"Yeah, I can see that," the middle-aged man chuckled. "Your rear wheels were squelching as you turned in, weren't they?"

"Yep, and I want to fix that…" I replied sheepishly.

He chuckled again. "Anything else?"

"Well, I'd like a Kamei front lip for my car, if that's fine," I continued, remembering how the SA always threatened to lift her front wheels at high speeds due to the shape of the front. The FB fixed that issue with the redesigned front, however.

"Ah, the aerodynamic issues of the SA," the middle-aged man recalled knowingly. "Good choice, kid."

"Thanks, heheh…"

 _Man, this guy definitely knows his stuff!_

"Wait," I stopped, remembering that I had a budget. "How much would the lip cost?

"Hmm..." Mr Suzuki pondered for a while. "I'll say 35 thousand yen, would that be fine?"

"35 thousand… Yeah, it's fine," I sighed, relieved.

"Alright then. Anything more?" he asked.

"Well, can I get a replacement factory semi-automatic choke? My current one's manual since I replaced it some time ago."

"That'll be easy to do, no problem. I've got first-gen open differentials and polyurethane bushing kits in stock, but you'll need to wait for your lip and choke to arrive. I estimate it to be one week, will that be fine?"

"Absolutely! Can I entrust you with my car until they're installed?"

"Sure thing, but don't you need to drive?" he asked, curious.

"Ah, not really for these days. I'll feel safer if it's with you, too."

"Ah, alright then," he replied, getting into the driver's seat.

I suddenly remembered something. "Oh, one more thing!"

"Hm?"

"Please keep this discreet. This is a bit of a project I've been working on and I want it to be a surprise, so…"

Mr Suzuki smiled. "I understand, will do!"

I returned the smile. "Thanks."

"No prob. Come back in a week!

And with that, the middle-aged man drove my SA into the shop.

 _Ah, SA's finally getting an upgrade,_ I thought as I turned around, ready to leave.

 _Wait…_

 _How am I supposed to go back now?!_

* * *

 _Yes, I made it back…_ I thought as I collapsed myself onto my bed.

 _I'm lucky a taxi passed by, else I'd be stuck…_

… _What now?_

I sat up. I do feel safe with my SA being parked at Suzuki Motors instead of being next to the camera store; the police won't notice for now. However, I'm not able to drive on Akina for the next week at least, so it will feel a bit boring.

I unlocked my desk drawer. Pulling it open, I took out my phone, turning it on for the first time in a while.

My lock screen, which was a picture of my SA, appeared after a few moments.

I checked my reception. No service.

 _As expected._

Unlocking my phone, I decided the only thing I could do is to pass time by looking through my files.

In my gallery, I looked for my "Favorites" album. Finding it easily, I browsed through the pictures and videos I had moved into the folder.

Different pictures of my friends with me and my SA appeared and passed. I smiled as I went through each of them.

 _You guys, I miss you all…_

Coming to a particular picture, I stopped.

This was me standing right beside the legendary Keiichi Tsuchiya, at Tsukuba Circuit during an event. Behind us were our cars; my SA on my side, and the famous DK Hachi-Roku on his side.

 _Man, I remember this day!_

On that Sunday, the Drift King actually sat in my SA and taught me a few new things while I went for 5 laps on Tsukuba. And boy, was he serious and unforgiving when it came to teaching me, but he was kind nonetheless.

 _"That's a bad line. Don't turn in so soon."_

 _"Your downshifting is not consistent enough. Keep your brake at the same position, don't put too much pressure on it when you blip the throttle."_

 _"Brake earlier! You overshot the apex, see."_

 _"Kid, your differential is not good for grip! Use an open one! Old race cars have closed differentials, but they're not good enough today!"_

Thinking back, I should've went for an open differential on the same day Mr Tsuchiya told me that.

 _Man, that was a good day._

Moving on, I soon reached a video. Not recalling what it is, I played it, interested in its contents.

"Damn it Nara! Like driver like car! Hahahaha!"

"W-what is this?! Oh my god! It fits you so perfectly!" another laughed.

 _Oh my god, I remember this now…_

"First generation of the RX-7, I'm SA! Nice to meet you!" I heard myself say in an oddly-convincing feminine voice and saw myself strike a pose.

I couldn't help it, bursting into laughter.

This was the day I was forced to dress up as Syanago Collection's SA after losing a bet. Everyone has commented on how I looked perfect in that costume, and after seeing myself again, I agree.

 _Damn, I can totally pass off as a girl in that!_

As I laughed at myself in the video, clad in the green, yellow and black costume, I couldn't help but miss those times.

Moving on, the next picture was of me as SA-chan, posing for the camera along with my friends.

 _Hey, that day was fun._

Moving on past the other pictures, I arrived at the earliest picture in the gallery.

It was a picture of Mr Yoshikawa and a younger me in front of the then-damaged SA.

I sighed, looking back at how far I had came from back then.

 _Time really flies, huh..._

* * *

"Thank you!" I bowed to a leaving car.

It's been about two days since my SA was sent to Suzuki Motors, and I still can't wait for five days to pass.

"Iketani! Oi, where did Iketani go?" the boss asked the three of us present just as I turned around to rejoin Takumi's and Itsuki's conversation.

"Huh? Iketani-senpai?" the young Fujiwara asked in his usual dreamy tone, a stark difference from when he drives.

"Oh, aha!" Itsuki joined in. "You mean Iketani, whose screams echoed across Akina as he rocketed down the three corners and passed out?!" he proceeded to scream.

I grinned, remembering that night.

"Iketani-senpai just left on a delivery, he took the truck," Itsuki told Mr Tachibana, abruptly back to his usual talking tone.

"I see…" was the reply. "If Iketani's not here, then maybe you can help, Takumi. Could you deliver some letters to the Yamada shop for me?" he asked, holding up some envelopes and some keys. "You can take my car."

"Oh, sure," Takumi replied, taking them and running towards the car as Itsuki observed, looking a bit jealous.

"Hey, boss," the chubby man stopped a walking-away Mr Tachibana as the young Fujiwara got into the Camry. "Um… you know, I have a license too. Why do you always ask Iketani and Takumi to run errands?"

"Well, you see," the boss turned around and folded his arms, "put your hand on your heart and tell me what you think."

"Uh…"

The chubby man literally put his left hand over his heart.

"Now do you understand?" Boss asked.

Itsuki put his hand down. "Nope."

"Simply put, I can trust Iketani and Takumi to drive. As for you, though, you'd bring my car back with a dent of your caved-in chest.

Itsuki jumped back, shocked.

I snickered quietly at the comment.

"Well, there you have it," the boss said, smirking to himself. "Hey, Nara, I need you to clean the garage up. It's not too dirty, so it'll be quick."

"Got it, on it!" I quickly replied. "I'll be right back, Itsuki!" I waved to the still-shocked chubby man as I headed over to the garage.

It took a while, but it was a short while to sort the gas station's garage out.

 _Alright, that's done,_ I thought as I walked out just as a black Nissan took its leave.

"Woah, BNR32!" I commented out loud, identifying the car easily.

 _Wait, I've seen that car before…_

Turning my head, I noticed Itsuki just standing there, watching the GT-R leave.

"Hey, Itsuki, I'm done!" I called out as I jogged over. "Why do you look so shocked?"

"Oh no, I'm dead, Nara!" the chubby man yelled, panicking. "Tell me, what am I gonna tell Takumi?!"

"Tell Takumi about what?" I asked, confused, as a car honked twice as it came in.

Boss' Camry, with Takumi behind the wheel, stopped in front of Itsuki, who jumped back a bit.

"Takumi!" Itsuki yelled.

The young Fujiwara poked his head out of the driver's window. "What are you panicked about?"

"Uh, never mind that, I've got a question for you," Itsuki stammered, running over beside the car.

"Huh?"

"Say, if you're free this Saturday, want to go racing this Saturday?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Sorry, but I don't drive a car unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Takumi, Nara!" Boss called out from inside, opening the glass door. "Thanks a lot, you two. Come in and have some coffee."

"Okay!" both of us replied at the same time.

The young Fujiwara went off to park the car.

I took one last look at the panicking Itsuki before walking towards the office.

 _Something's odd…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! So, sorry for the massive hiatus, stuff happens in life and I got kinda off writing for a while, but now that I'm back, I'll keep this running!**

Six

"See you tomorrow!" Takumi and Itsuki said to both the boss and me as they began to depart.

"Goodbye!" Mr Tachibana shouted out from inside his office.

"See ya!" I waved back, having already gotten out of my uniform and just standing at the front door.

"Uh, Takumi," I overheard Itsuki stopping the young Fujiwara outside.

"Huh?" was the reply he got as the young man turned around.

"Let me ask you something."

"Mmh."

"Suppose, just suppose, a racer were to challenge you to a race. You'll definitely accept, right?"

"Huh? No way, I'm not into that."

"What?! Don't say that!"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Eyaa," Itsuki stepped back, "well, uh, that's beside the point!" He raised a finger. "You know, if a racer receives a challenge, he has to stand up and accept it!"

"Not necessarily," I chimed in, walking towards the both of them while they turned to look at me. "It's technically perfectly fine to reject a challenge for any reason, say, for example, your car has been damaged and is being repaired, or if you've genuinely got something on that night. Hell, you can even reject a challenge just because you don't wanna race."

"Where's your pride, Nara?!" the chubby man cried out, looking at me in frustration. "It doesn't look good if you reject a race!"

"Well hey," I shrugged, "I'm not as serious a driver, so it's not a problem to me if I say I don't want to race."

"What do you mean? You have raced before, Nara?"

The two of them stared at me curiously.

 _Oh, whoops!_

"Uh, nope! I was just saying it in a position where I have a car. I don't have a car yet, eheh…" I lied.

"Huh…" the chubby man stared at me suspiciously.

I sweatdropped. "What?"

"Uh, nothing," Itsuki relented easily. "But still, a racer shouldn't reject a challenge when there's no real reason to!"

"Well," Takumi said, "that may be true for a racer, but I'm no racer."

"No racer?" Itsuki pouted.

"Besides, being forced to accept challenges just isn't my thing. Nara is right, I can reject a challenge if I want to, and I choose to reject."

The young Fujiwara began to walk away. "See you two tomorrow."

"Hai, bye!" I waved him off again.

"Uh…" the chubby man watched as Takumi strolled off.

"What'll I do?" he muttered to himself.

"What's wrong, Itsuki?" I asked out of concern. "You've been like that since the afternoon, care to share?"

"N-not now, Nara…" he quietly said. "It's not the right time yet…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Alright, whatever you say."

* * *

The familiar white 180SX turned hard into the gas station, her tires squealing. She braked hard, and with tires squealing too, stopped and parked.

Kenji quickly stepped out, a look of worry on his sweaty face.

"Iketani!" he shouted as he sprinted towards us.

We all turned to look at him in surprise.

"You accepted a challenge from the Night Kids of Myogi?! Why were you keeping something that big a secret from us?!"

"Huh?" was the confused reply from Iketani. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's no use trying to deny it! The word's all over town! Hachiroku and R32 are going at it on the downhill!"

"Huh?" both Takumi and I went in unison.

"Eight-Six?" Iketani asked, confused as well. "That's… that's news to me!"

"What?! Word is, Night Kids' Nakazato came to this gas station himself to issue the challenge!"

The leader of the Speed Stars turned around to look at the young Fujiwara. "Takumi. Have you heard anything about this?"

"Not at all," was the reply he got.

"Nara?" Iketani turned to look at me.

"Me neither," I replied. "I'm just as confused as you. But what kind of R32 is this? GTS? GTS-t?"

"It's a GT-R!" Kenji replied.

"Holy hell," I replied, remembering yesterday. "Is it black?"

"Yes!" Kenji replied again. "So he really did come here! Did you talk to him?"

"No, I was cleaning the garage and only saw that car leave the gas station. The only guy outside could only be Boss and…"

As we all pieced the puzzle together at the same time, we all turned to look at Itsuki, who was looking down and shaking.

"S-sorry..." the chubby man shook.

We all stared at him in disbelief.

"Itsuki…" Iketani began, "you didn't…"

"I... I accepted the challenge!"

"Eh?!" Iketani went.

"Ii-" Kenji went.

Takumi only watched silently in surprise.

"Y-you did WHAT?!" I shouted in disbelief.

Itsuki went on his knees. "Sorry! Please forgive me! Yesterday, Nakazato of the Night Kids really came here. He came by when Iketani and Takumi were out and Nara was busy. I… I couldn't help but pretend to be a member of the Speed Stars and before I knew what was happening, he had already issued the challenge and driven off."

"No wonder you were acting weird yesterday!" I commented.

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?!" Iketani shouted.

The chubby man sat up, tears in his eyes. "I really was going to tell you, I was just waiting for the right moment… Sorry, Takumi," he looked up. "I messed up! Please forgive me!"

The young Fujiwara did not appear upset. "It's a bit late now…"

"Forgive me, please forgive me…" Itsuki went on as the rest of us continued to stand there in disbelief.

* * *

"... and that's the story," I finished, telling the day's events to Mr Tachibana after my shift. "What a mess, it's a goddamn BNR32 and it's this soon…"

Even in 2019, the BNR32 is still a potent car, kept valid performance-wise by the vast aftermarket and tuning community due to its solidity as a racing legend. Even with the existence of the 1998-wise still-unreleased BNR34 and the phenomenal R35 being released, the R32 GT-R still holds itself as a great chassis to work on, still being the lightest out of all the modern GT-Rs at factory stock.

Boss took a breath from his cigarette. "A GT-R, huh…"

"There no way an AE86 is going to beat that, plain and simple," I sighed. "No matter how you look at it, the hachiroku can only be superior in terms of weight and agility, but that's about it. With the ATTESA-ETS allowing it to corner probably just as quickly as quickly as an 86, and the RB26DETT gives more than at least twice of what the 4A-GE can produce. The way I see it, Takumi may lose this one."

"Oh? I beg to differ, Nara," Mr Tachibana replied and I looked up in curiosity. "Remember, he beat the 350 hp FD Takahashi Keisuke drove. The touge is not the same as the track; anything can happen even if it won't happen at, say, Tsukuba. That's the mountain pass for you."

"Yeah, that's true," I agreed, "but now, I really don't see how a hachiroku can win against a GT-R."

"Maybe not any other hachiroku, but if it's the Fujiwara AE86 driven by a Fujiwara, I've got faith. Bunta is a great racer, and he taught Takumi every night for the past five years. This may be a close one, but I feel that Takumi would win."

I sat back. "I'll see. I may go on Saturday night to watch, by the way, but I've not decided yet. How about you, Boss?"

"Ah? No plans for that at the moment," was the reply I got as he took another puff.

* * *

"You don't think we can convince Takumi to race?" I overheard Iketani say in the garage as I swept the tarmac outside, out of sight.

"No," I heard Itsuki reply. "I know him better than anyone, and he'll never do it. He hates being forced into things or having to follow others' orders."

Mr Tachibana, who was just beside me and leaning against the front of the garage, out of sight from the other two men, chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow.

"He looks real mellow," the chubby man continued, "but once he says something there's no changing his mind."

"Stubborn," Boss muttered quietly, "just like his father."

I raised my eyebrow again.

"He doesn't understand why racers have to accept challenges," Itsuki went on. "The whole system offends him. When someone tries to force him to do something, he snaps. One time in 11th grade, he flipped out and beat up a group of seniors after soccer practice."

 _Woah, seriously?!_

"What?" Iketani replied, sharing my shock. "Takumi did that?"

Boss chuckled again, leaving for the office.

… And yes, I raised my eyebrow yet again.

* * *

Fujiwara Bunta turned into the Suzuki Motors compound in his AE86, a cigarette in his mouth.

Earlier that day, his son had implied to him that he may be racing a R32 GT-R later that night, and the older Fujiwara knew that the race is near certain. Therefore, he had decided to adjust the suspension settings of the Hachiroku appropriately, so that Takumi would have a winning chance.

As the Eight-Six stopped outside the shop, Masashi quickly jogged out.

"Hey, Bunta!" he greeted. "What brings you here today?"

"Takumi's going to race a R32, so I'm here to adjust the suspension settings for him," was the reply Mr Suzuki got.

"A R32? GT-R?"

"Seems so."

"Ah, that'll be a close race for sure. You know where to go and where my tools are, help yourself. I've got a customer's car to work on," Masashi replied, turning round and jogging back into the shop.

The older Fujiwara put the 86 into gear and brought the Toyota into the shop, the 1600 cc inline-four engine revving happily at low rpm.

As Bunta stopped his car, he observed the car that Masashi was working on; a mach green coupe up on jack stands with what seems like its differential out.

He shut the engine off and got out. "I haven't seen this model for quite some time already, Masashi. What's this old car doing here?"

"Ah, the kid wants his rear differential swapped out for a factory stock, and I'm installing the new one today," Masashi explained, walking towards the SA. "He welded his differential shut, thinking it would help in cornering. See," he continued, picking the old differential up and showing it to the older Fujiwara, "he actually did a good job welding it shut."

"A closed differential can help with cornering in some cases, but an open differential in most situations would be much better," Bunta said, observing the differential before him. "I raced a car with a closed differential once, at least it was predictable at the corners."

"Yeah, old racecars have closed diffs but there's a reason why they don't use that anymore," Masashi agreed, putting the differential on the floor. "Well, I think I'll keep this one and keep it as reserve or a scrap part. Ah, the kid also went for a full set of polyurethane bushings, a Kamei front lip and got the factory choke to replace his manual choke too," he went on, walking over to the front of the car. "I installed the bushings the night it arrived on Tuesday, the choke came on Thursday and the lip arrived yesterday."

"He clearly knows his stuff," Bunta commented, looking at the newly-installed front lip on the green RX-7. "Polyurethane bushings are a great choice for improving a car's handling, and the Kamei lip fixes the front aerodynamic issues of the SA. The only reason why I didn't go for urethane bushings on the hachiroku myself is because it'll not be as quiet. How old is he?"

"Well," the other man pondered, "he's young, I'll say 18 or so."

"That's impressive," the older Fujiwara nodded. "He'll go far."

"Yeah, he surely will," Suzuki smiled.

"Though, he should've changed the rear drum brakes to calipers. I wonder why he hasn't decided to do that."

"Well, maybe he doesn't have enough money? He's young, after all, and this is a rotary," Masashi shrugged. "Well, this is NA, so it's reliable especially with the way he treats her, but she still drinks petrol like a thirsty girl just obtaining a bottle of fresh water. No, she _is_ a thirsty girl," he chuckled.

"I see," Bunta pondered. "Well, he's doing good enough modifying his car, so there's that. I wonder how he drives. Hey, Masashi, can you start the engine for me?"

The other man grinned. "Sure thing! You've always liked the sound of a carburetor, Bunta, so you'll probably love this engine."

The older Fujiwara gave a small smile. "Indeed."

Pulling the choke and turning the ignition, the 12A sputtered to life, idling roughly with the rich fuel mixture. After a while, though, it smoothened out and the choke automatically retracted itself, the car now idling smoothly. To others, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

But to Bunta's ears, something was off.

"Too rich."

"Really?" Masashi looked up from behind the wheel, surprised. "I didn't notice."

"It's not major, but it's still off. Looks like the kid's got more stuff to learn. I think I'll adjust the Eight-Six's suspension after I'm done adjusting this," the older Fujiwara said, grabbing a screwdriver. "Can I?"

"Go ahead!" was the enthusiastic reply he got.

And with that, Bunta began to fine-tune the SA's air-fuel mixture settings.

Masashi smiled. He knew Bunta couldn't stand the sound of an off-tune choke, no matter how minor.

* * *

 _The race's tonight, huh…_

I stepped out of the bathroom, having showered and now in my casuals.

Going back to my room and setting my items down on the bed, I shut and locked the door behind me as I got out.

Hearing the boss and Takumi talking outside, I headed over to the office.

"I'm not afraid of the R32 or any other car," I heard the young Fujiwara say as I rounded the corner, just in time to see him enter and shut the door to the changing room.

Mr Tachibana slumped into his seat in relief. "Phew! He's exactly like his father…"

I put my hands in my pockets. "What was that all about, Boss?"

"Well, I just managed to persuade Takumi to race tonight."

"Really?" I asked, getting excited.

He nodded, smiling. "He's just like his father, stubborn as always. I told him how good the R32 is and that he'll not win if he raced. As expected, he's now more determined to race that Nakazato guy."

"That's great! But, Boss, is that a good decision?"

The old man took another puff from his cigarette. "This is Bunta's son. He'll definitely win this one."

"I see…"

A few minutes later, Takumi walked out, now out of his uniform.

"Hey, Takumi, heard that you'll race tonight. Can you give me a lift up in your Eight-Six?" I asked. "I wanna watch, but seeing how you haven't decided until just now, I held off."

"Huh? Sure, but do you want me to bring the car over?"

"Ah, no need, I'll follow you to your place!" I smiled.

"Okay," the young Fujiwara replied, scratching his face. "Let's go then. See you tomorrow!" he said, both of us waving the boss goodbye,

"I'll settle things here, Nara," Mr Tachibana said as he waved back.

"Okay!"

* * *

"Hey, Nara," Takumi asked as we walked down the street. "Have you driven before?"

"Huh?" I turned my head to face him. "Nope, I still don't have my license yet. Why the sudden question?"

"Well, it's just that…" the young Fujiwara scratched his face, "it's just that you're not afraid of the downhill that day, and you seem like you're used to it, more than even Iketani."

"Eh, do I?" I pretended to ponder over his observation. "Well, I guess I'm just really used to it, I think."

"No, it's not that… Something like that cannot be 'used to' as a passenger, because you wouldn't know what the driver exactly does. When you don't know that, you'll just feel scared no matter what."

 _Yep, he's onto me._

"Eh… I guess it's just me?" I grinned. "Rather, you're pretty impressive yourself," I quickly added on, trying to deviate the topic at hand.

I saw Fujiwara blush a bit. "No, I'm not that good…"

"Oh come on, you give yourself too little credit!" I replied cheerfully. "You need to be confident of your abilities, Takumi. That's probably what's holding you back now."

"I see… But I'm not a racer."

"Doesn't mean you don't have the makings of one. Maybe see if you can race others more, and perhaps you'll find that it's something you enjoy?" I suggested.

"I'll think about it," was the indecisive response from Fujiwara as we continued walking.

* * *

"We're almost there," Takumi said as we turned into a small street.

"Gotcha. Your father runs a tofu shop, right?"

"Yeah. It should still be open now, so if you want to buy some fried tofu you can get some here."

"Yeah, I think I'll buy some," I nodded, feeling a bit peckish as well.

"He doesn't actually like tofu, however."

"Eh?" I turned my head around, surprised. "Why does he have a tofu shop then?"

The young Fujiwara shrugged. "We still need to make money though, so that's probably why he still runs the shop. He also said something about adults liking doing things they hate or something as well…"

Looking ahead, the unlit yellow-and-white sign of the Fujiwara Tofu Shop caught my eye, its name clearly written in black on the white section.

 _Unlit? That's odd, but unlit signs are pretty normal as well..._

I then noticed something off.

"Hey, shop's closed," I noted, looking at the completely-closed shutters.

"Huh?"

"And there's a piece of paper there as well," I pointed to the note pasted on the front door's shutter, held on with tape.

The both of us went to take a closer look.

"Huh?! Closed temporarily…?" Takumi muttered to himself as he read it. "Dad never said anything about this. How's he going to make money if the shop's closed?"

"Hey, where's the 86 parked at?" I asked as I looked around. "Do you usually park it somewhere else?"

A thought hit the young Fujiwara and he spun around quickly, looking at an empty spot beside the shop. "Oh no! The car!"

We both stared at the empty space, no AE86 in sight.

It doesn't take an idiot to figure the situation out.

"Oh," I muttered. "Crap."

"If he went out drinking, I'm in trouble," was the reply as Takumi facepalmed and scratched his hair. "He won't be back till the morning, that Dad… I can't do anything with a car," he went on, both hands on his head as he squatted down in frustration. "I should have asked to borrow it this morning!"

A few minutes later, we were in the Fujiwara living room, both of us anxious. Takumi had dialed the number of the bar his father frequents, his right hand holding the phonebook while I, with nothing better to do, waited quietly behind, watching him talk to the person on the receiving end.

I checked the clock.

8:56 pm.

"Oh... I see… Uh, if he happens to show up, could you ask him to call home? Thanks…"

The young Fujiwara moved the handset away from him, his face in a frown. "It's no use, Nara. I can't find him."

He placed the handset onto the switch hook with a little more force than necessary, startling me a little. "Idiot Dad! Bring the Eight-Six back!"

A few seconds later, Takumi turned to look at me. "Nara, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if my dad will bring the car back on time."

"Oh, it's completely fine, let's just wait," I replied. If he doesn't return on time I'll just leave later, but for now I'll wait for him with you, alright?"

The young Fujiwara nodded, his face still filled with worry.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's still early now. Let's just hope your father returns home soon, together!" I said comfortingly, smiling.

He smiled and nodded again, seeming less-worried now.

 _He's still worried as hell for sure, but at least I seem to have helped a bit._

 _Hopefully._


End file.
